Mystic Ring
by Lady Genrou
Summary: Tasuki is whisked away on a wild adventrue by a mysterious princess. Just when he thinks all is finally set right, things take an unexpected turn... R&R *completed*
1. Princess Sadako

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Mystic Ring - Part One  
By Lady Genrou  
  
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Disclaimers: Usual disclaimers apply  
  
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It was because of me that devastation was brought on to my land and people. Disease swept over all of us and consumed us like a hungry fire does dry wood. There was no food or water except those remains for our dead livestock and of contaminated puddles that only the bravest of scavengers dared to venture near. The ring was my responsibility and I lost it; the key to life in Kejuti was gone and we all were doomed. But I couldn't just sit back and wait for death to conquer us all. As princess of the land, I had to do something and find help though I had no idea who to look for or where to even begin. I only knew that I had to find someone to help and fast.  
  
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Tasuki lounged back with his feet on the table and his chair tilted back with him so it balanced on its two back legs. Before him on the tabletop were empty dishes messily piled in one another, waiting to be picked up and washed. The dinner was very delicious and left his men in bright spirits as the chorused around the camp, drinking, laughing, and just having fun like they always did. Yes, being a bandit was definitely rewarding and full of adventure. Especially if you were the leader like Tasuki (better known as Genrou).   
Tasuki simply sat there and looked over his men, being unusually quiet that night. He himself didn't know why and only shrugged when others asked what has gotten into him. He was happy though, but there was an undefined emotion within him that he couldn't figure out. After a long moment, he got up and made his way out the door and outside where he was greeted by tranquility and the cool, evening breeze. It was growing late and the sky was dark only with a tinge of pink left above the horizon. The stars had started to come out and winked down at him from the heavens. His boots mad dull padding sound as he walked at a sluggish pace down the dirt trail in thought. He paused when he reached a little footbridge and leaned his arms on the railing, letting his hands hang over and watched the water as it tricked between, over, and around rocks in the streams bed. 'Damn,' he thought to himself. 'What has gotten into you, Tasuki?'  
He stared down at his reflection for a long time before sighing heavily and standing upright to continue his walk through the camp. He paused though once more, noticing a small group of about a dozen fireflies merrily dancing in a mini swarm over a small pond where some of the stream had leaked into the dip in the land during the rainy season and gathered. He clasped his hands behinds his back and watched the tiny creatures. They seemed so happy being together like one big family. 'Family...' Tasuki thought wistfully just then. His family had always been Kouji and the other bandits, and he always thought that they were all he needed, but seeing those fire flies made him realize that he yearned for something just a little bit more.   
This loneliness was new to him, and he wasn't quite sure if he liked it. Tasuki always was full of energy and adventure that he never even gave it a second though; always feeling as though he was content with all that he had. He was a little flustered that he let his commanding facade down enough to let the men see that he had somewhat of a soft side. He was well aware that if they ever found out how he felt, some would try to take his position. The group couldn't afford a weak leader, and Tasuki vowed to ignore what he felt and continue too ruthless like the others.  
The serene beauty of this scene was shattered by a piercing scream and hoof beats of horses galloping through the trees just up ahead from where Tasuki stood. He snapped his head up and could make out the silhouettes of the figures that broke his train of though. "All right!" he said out loud, taking his iron fan out from the sling over his shoulders. "Finally a little action around this place!" All his previous thought was forgotten as he raced off towards the intruders on his camp sight.  
"Ha! Ha! We have the Mystic Ring at last!" cried a burly man clad in warrior armor with black, beady eyes, and greasy hair that was tied back in a sloppy pony tail triumphantly as he slid from the saddle of his horse, unaware of the camp near by. "Bring the girl forward!"  
A young girl with long black hair and wide blue eyes was thrown to the ground before his feet. Her silk robes were soiled and ripped, indicating that she had defiantly been roughly handled by these barbarians. The man picked her up and forcibly pulled her to her feet and drew her close to him. He smiled wirily at her, revealing crooked rows of stained, yellow teeth. "Thank you for making it so easy to kidnap you, Princess Sadako. The ring will be most useful to me in my ploy to take over Kejuit. You're mother would be so disappointed that you couldn't keep a hold of the ring she trusted you with if she were still alive!"  
Infuriated, the girl whom the man called Princess Sadako spit right in his face. Tasuki, who had been watching from near by bushes couldn't help but smirk. She wasn't too dainty for a lady. The man passed a thick hand over his face, and then drew it back, landing a hard blow across the girls face, sending her sprawling to the ground. "You little whore!" he screamed in fury, drawing his sword. "I'll kill you!"  
"REKKA SHIEN!" A burst of flames shot from nowhere, spooking the horses and causing them to run off.   
"God dammit! Get the horses! The loot is in those bags!" the man ordered after recovering from a moment of initial shock.  
"What about the Princess?" one man asked before going off with the others.  
"I'll take care of her! Now go!"  
The man turned back to Sadako, but the clever girl had used the distraction to her advantage, and slipped into the nearby bushes, unnoticed. "Damn you, you little wench! I'll be back! Do you hear me! You will be sorry!" With those last threats, then man ran off after the others.  
When all was still again, Sadako emerged from her leafy hiding spot and collapsed on the side of the road. Hesitating a moment, Tasuki stepped out and made his way to her and kneeled beside her. He gently shook her, attempting to wake her up. "Hey, girl," he called quietly. "C'mon and open your eyes." He sighed when she didn't respond and he realized that she had fainted. He couldn't blame her really. That was a pretty tough situation, but fainting was such a... girly thing to do. He picked her up effortlessly in his arms and carried her back to the camp and to his quarters, disappointed that there wasn't more fighting.  
When Sadako awoke sometime late the next morning, she found herself in a comfortable bed with numerous, soft pillows and warm blankets that made her never want to get up. She looks about the tiny room, figuring she must be in a peasant home with the way it was set up. There bed was made out of stumpy blocks of wood and hand no headboard. In front of it was a large trunk that was latched with a rusty lock and hinges. On the far wall that she faced was a small dresser where a mirror hung above it. A black trench coat was draped over its top along with a necklace made of glass beads of red, green and black. She looked to her right and squinted her eyes at the sunshine that shone down through the window of that wall through deep blue, sheer curtains. When she looked to her left, she started a bit, finding a young man dressed in a light blue shirt, tan pants, and knee-high boots with a shock of fiery, red hair fast asleep in a chair beside her. His fine lips were parted slightly, letting one of his two little fangs peek out. His toned arms were lying over his trim stomach and rose up and down with each deep breath of slumber he took. His long legs were stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles and the large, iron fan was propped up next to him against the wall.  
Not wanting to wake him, she rose soundlessly and made her way to the dresser to look at herself in the mirror. A large bruise was now bright on her cheek from where the man had struck her the night before. Her once silky hair was ratted and was falling out of the bun she had it tied back in. She really didn't look like princess anymore. Tears welded up in her eyes as she replayed the night's events through her mind. She had to get that ring back somehow, but wasn't sure how to go about it. She then gazed at Tasuki by way though the mirror. He must have been the one that caused that explosion to save her. She turned and faced him, wrapping her arms around herself and going back over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it.   
The gleam of the sunlight reflecting off the fan caught her attention. She looked to it and didn't move for a moment, then reached out to touch it in innocent curiosity. Suddenly there was a hand about her wrist. The quickness of the motion caused her to gasp and look up, finding herself face to face with the red-haired man. He narrowed his deep green eyes in a menacing glare. "That's not yours to touch," he said in a voice that was raspy from sleep.  
"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, obviously frightened. "I didn't mean any harm."  
Tasuki released her and stood, picking the fan up and making his way across the room to the dresser as well. She watched him as he did so, remaining silent. He looked at her by way of the mirror as she had done to him jut a few moments before.   
"Are ya feeling' better?" he asked in a tone that was softer now as he looped the necklaces around his neck.  
Sadako nodded. "You saved me last night?"  
"Well, I couldn't very well just let those men on my territory. I didn't know they had you. You're lucky day, I guess."  
Sadako was taken aback by his cold tones and looks and glared at him as she slipped on the black trench coat.  
"Do you eve know who I am?" she demanded.  
Tasuki shrugged and turned to face her. "Do I look like I care? Now do ya want some breakfast or no? I don't have time to play your girly game of twenty questions."  
He really didn't mean to be so cold to her, but the thought of having the men rebel against him for being too weak was now fresh in his mind again. He had to be cold; otherwise they would suspect something was up. They all knew that he hated girls and bringing this one back to camp was bad enough. He had to be indifferent towards her to protect his position there as leader, but didn't bother to tell her that. After all, she was a girl and probably wouldn't understand anyhow.  
"Could I at least have a change of clothes?" she asked.  
Tasuki turned and looked at her and replied simply, "We don't have any girl clothes around here."  
"Fine, than I'll wear 'boys clothes.' I would just like something clean."  
Tasuki narrowed his eyes at her, not certain if he liked her tone. "Fine," he retorted, colder than her. "But stay here. Ill bring you back something to eat too." And without waiting for a thank you or expecting one, he turned and started out once more.  
"Wait!" Sadako exclaimed.  
"What!?" Tasuki demanded, very annoyed now.   
She hesitated a moment before asking, "Do you have a name?"  
"Yeah, I do." And with that, he left the room, leaving her alone.  
Sadako remained on the bed starting at the door for a long moment after he left. She was in utter shock that he even dared to be so cold to her. 'I must be far from my kingdom in a place inhabited buy social outcasts,' she thought. Sadako stood and tiptoed gracefully to the mirror above the dresser to survey her appearance once more. With trembling fingers, she touched the bruise, which had only grown bigger on her cheek. She closes her eyes and let tears trickle down her face and leaned forward on the dresser's top for support, feeling incredibly weak and dirty.  
"You okay?" came a voice.  
Startled, Sadako whirled around to find Tasuki in the doorway holding clothing in his arms and a small tray of food. She wiped her face and forced herself to regain her composure.  
"Yes, perfectly fine."  
"Then stop crying. Its annoying."  
"Do you even know why I'm crying!?" she yelled, infuriated by him giving her orders.  
"No, and yet again, I really don't care," Tasuki replied, setting the things down on the dresser   
Without even thinking, Sadako pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the face. As a reflex, Tasuki seized her wrists and forced her up against the wall, putting his face close to hers, raw fury evident in his deep, green eyes. Sadako froze and stared at him in terror, knowing she had gone too far this time.   
"Listen here, girl," he hissed. "You are in MY territory now, and here, I give the orders. I didn't have to save you from those barbarians. To be honest, I really wanted to go after that horse that had the bags of goodies. I don't know what made me save you instead. Now you eat that food I brought you and change."  
"I-I'm sorry..." Sadako replied quietly.  
"Good."   
He released her and stepped away, eying her, the anger fading only slightly from his eyes. Sadako remained there against the wall for a long moment before going to the dresser to eat the food like he told her too. Tasuki watched as she did so, taking his seat in the chair that he spent the night in. "So ... why were you crying?" he asked, his tone much softer now. Sadako glanced at him over her shoulder, not sure if she heard him right.  
"Its a long story.."  
"Well, I don't have anything else to do right now," he said, leaning back in his chair so its back was against the wall and put both his arms behind his head.  
Sadako was silent for a long moment and made her way the bed in thought. She sat down and then looked up to him. "My mother was queen of where I come from. It's a tradition to pass a ring on to the prince or princess when he or she turns sixteen. But it's not just any ring. It's the reason why there's life in my land. Without it, it's impossible for me or my people to survive. That man ... he kidnapped me after the ceremony and stole it."  
"Who is he?" Tasuki asked, sitting in the chair right and leaning slightly forward.  
"Lord Mashou. He was my mother's sworn enemy since he first found out about the ring and its powers. He tired to steal it for years, and finally managed to do so. He had his men ... assassinate my mother. They-they did horrible ... unspeakable things to me before you saved me." Sadako paused for a moment and took a deep breath to collect herself and continued. "I tried to escape a few times with the ring... I have to get it back! But I need help," she finished, looking up at him.  
Tasuki blinked and then stood. "Hey, wait a minute, sister. Don't look at me like that."  
"But you have powers! You would be perfect to help defeat Mashou!"  
"Look, I'm touches by your story and all, but I'm just a lowly bandit that has duties here with my men."  
"Oh, please! I can't do this by myself!"  
"I'm sorry. I just can't leave camp again. I would like to help ya, but-"  
"Fine," Sadako interrupted and stood, going to the dresser and picking up the change of clothes.  
"What are you doing?"  
"I have the get the ring back with or without your help. And perhaps on the way I'll find someone who isn't a coward."  
"Coward!?" cried Tasuki, going over to her. "Who are you calling a 'coward'!?"  
Sadako looked at him as if he were an idiot. "You of course."  
"Hey, I might be a lot of things, but a cowards is NOT one of them."  
"So you'll help me then?"  
"You betcha."  
Sadako smiled and held out her hand to him. "I'm princess Sadako, and for your help, you will be highly rewarded when the ring is returned."  
Tasuki hesitated a moment, then took her hand.  
"I'm Genrou."  
  
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To be continued...  



	2. Tasuki's Decision

Later that night while Sadako slept, Tasuki met in the main room with his best friend, Koji.  
  
"What do you mean you're leaving again!? Genrou! You just got back!"  
  
"I know, but something came up."  
  
Koji eyed him a moment. "Does this have anything to do with that girl you brought here the other night?"  
  
Tasuki paced a few steps as he thought, reluctant to tell him the truth. "Well, sorta ... but its only because she's offering a big reward, and I know its gonna be big, because she's a princess."  
  
Koji looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "So she says..."  
  
Tasuki sighed. "Look, she needs help. No one else is going to if I don't."  
  
Koji grinned and prodded his friend's chest with his index finger. "You're not goin' soft on me are you, Genrou?"  
  
"Of course not!" Tasuki said quickly, swatting Koji's hand away. "I'm only in it for the reward."  
  
"Well, she is kinda pretty...."  
  
"Shut up, will you!? I told you why I was helping! I couldn't care less about the girl! I hate all girls! Anyway, I'm counting on you to take care of things until I get back."  
  
"You can count on me!" Koji replied, a grin still upon his face.  
  
"Good. The girl and I are gonna leave first thing in the morning."  
  
"All right. I'll go tell the men."  
  
Tasuki remained where he was and watched his friend go. He thought about that one part of the conversation for a long moment. 'She is kinda pretty...' Tasuki shook his head slightly to clear his mind. 'Get a hold of yourself, Tasuki,' he thought. 'The reward is all that matters.'  



	3. The Quest Begins

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Mystic Ring - Part Three  
By: Lady Genrou  
  
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Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply.  
  
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Early the next morning, Tasuki went to his chambers and to his bed where Princess Sadako slumbered. He stood by the bedside for a moment, watching her before reaching down and shaking her gently. "Hey, Princess," he called softly. "Wake up."  
  
Sadako turned over groggily and opened her eyes. "What time is it?" she mumbled.  
  
"Around six in the morning."  
  
"Too early," she replied with a slight whine in her tone, pulling the blankets over her head and turned back over.   
  
Tasuki grinned and yanked them back down. "C'mon, sleeping beauty," he teased. "We gotta find that ring of yours."  
  
Sadako sat up quickly, suddenly wide-awake. "Come on! Let's go!"  
  
"Hold on a second, Princess. Do you even have an idea of where to start looking?" Tasuki questioned, setting his hands on her shoulders to hold her back.  
  
"Lord Mashou's palace is deep in the forest just outside of Konan."  
  
"Konan?" Tasuki echoed.  
  
"Yes! Do you know where that is?"  
  
"I do, and it's a few days ride from her ... possibly a week depending on the weather and if all goes well on the way."  
  
"I'd go to any lengths to get the ring back."  
  
"I know, but you have to slow down just a bit. This land is pretty dangerous."  
  
"I don't care. My people, including me, are in desperate need of it."  
  
"Well, you're not gonna do your people any good if you're dead."  
  
Sadako sighed and hung her head, knowing that he was right, but not admitting it. Tasuki scratched the back of his head, suddenly speechless. "Do-do ya want some breakfast while I get everything ready to go?"  
  
Sadako looked up at him and nodded lightly. "Yes, thank you."  
  
Sadako sat outside and watched Tasuki load a few bags onto two horses while she ate her breakfast. Rice certainly wasn't what she was used to compared to the big buffets that they had in her kingdom, but it was filling and that was all that concerned her. After securing the last bag, Tasuki went over to her and asked, "Finished?"  
  
"Oh, yes. Thank you," Sadako replied, handing the bowl to him and stood. Tasuki handed it to one of his men, then motioned for her to come on. A small group had gathered around the horses, awaiting their leader's departure. Koji helped Sadako onto her horse, then turned to Tasuki with a grin playing on his lips. "You be good now, okay? No kissy-kiss," he said, making fish lips at the end. Tasuki playfully grabbed his face with one hand from beneath his chin and made a kiss face back.  
  
"Don't worry, Koji. I'll save my 'kissy-kissies' just for you."  
  
Koji's eyes went wide and he pulled back from his friend. "I know you were just foolin' around, but that was just wrong, Genrou."  
  
Tasuki smirked and mounted his horse and looked down at him. "Was I just foolin' around?"  
  
Koji narrowed his eyes. "You better have been."  
  
"I was."  
  
"Good."  
  
Sadako, who had been watching this scene, was very amused, and slightly embarrassed, at their conduct. It was obvious that the two had been friends for quite some time. She smiled lightly at Tasuki when he turns to look at her over his shoulder. "Read to go, Princess?"  
  
"Yes, lets go."  
  
And with that and a final wave to Koji, the bandit and the princess were off on, what they soon will find out, the adventure of their lives.  
  
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To be continued...  
  
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	4. Ambushed!

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The Mystic Ring - Part Four  
By: Lady Genrou  
  
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Disclaimers: Usual disclaimers apply.  
  
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The first day or so of their journey was quite pleasant. The sun was constantly shining, the sky was clear, and the whole land had a happy atmosphere which managed to clear Sadako's mind for a little bit. She kept her horse at a slow trot a few feet behind Tasuki's. He didn't speak much to her and always seemed a little ... annoyed most of the time, so she decided that staying silent was the best. But that day was so beautiful, that even Tasuki couldn't be grumpy.   
  
She steered her horse up beside him and smiled lightly. "Nice day, isn't it?"  
  
Tasuki looked at her a moment, having thought that she was going to stay silent the whole trip. "Yeah. We've had some pretty rotten weather lately. Hopefully it will stay this way until we get to Konan."  
  
"Do you think it will?"  
  
Tasuki simply shrugged. "I have no idea."  
  
Suddenly Tasuki jerked the reins if his horse and stopped, cocking his head to the side to listen. Sadako stopped as well and looked at him curiously. "What is it?"  
  
He was silent a moment, then replied. "Some ones coming this way."  
  
Sadako began to panic. "Genrou! What if its Mashou?"  
  
"Then we don't have to go all the way to Konan to find him," he replied, waiting another moment before snapping the reins and moving forward again.  
  
Sadako held back, not at all comfortable with the present situation. Tasuki obviously had no idea just how powerful Mashou was. Not to mention that his powers probably were tripled now that he had the ring. She bit her bottom lip and continued forward as well, not wanting to get left behind.  
  
Suddenly, out of no where, a giant, winged beast swooped out before them with an ear piercing screech, knocking Tasuki off his horse and soaring straight for the princess.  
  
"Genrou!!" Sadako screamed as the creatures claws caught her clothing and plucked her easily from the saddle.  
  
Tasuki forced himself up despite the pain that wracked his body and ran after them, drawing his tessen from its sling and taking careful aim so not to hit the princess.  
  
"REKKA SHIEN!"  
  
The ball of fire struck the beast in the leg, causing him to let out another cry and release the princess. Sadako screamed as she fell towards the ground, and was taken completely by surprise when she landed in Tasuki's arms. "Genrou!" she breathed, tears flowing down her face.  
  
"Don't thank me yet! That things not-"  
  
His words were cut off as the beat flew back around and hit him with it's giant foot in the back. Tasuki cried out as he fell forward, dropping Sadako to the ground. Stunned, she turned back around to see the monster diving straight down at him. "Genrou!!" she screamed again, her mind reeling with thoughts of the worst. "Look out!"  
  
Tasuki rolled onto his back and weakly picked his tessen up, trying desperately to gather his strength. Then, at the very last moment, he managed to get it aimed at the rabid dragon. "REKKA SHIEN!!"  
  
The even bigger blast of fire hit the creature in the face, blinding it. Wounded, and very angry, the beast swooped back into the air and flew a clumsy retreat back into the sky from where it had come from.  
  
Tasuki closed his eyes and collapsed back onto the ground, dropping his tessen at his side, grimacing with pain. Sadako could only stare at his body there, immobile for what seemed to her to be an eternity, but was in reality, but a moment before she swiftly crawled to his side. "Genrou!?" she shrieked, gently putting her hands to his shoulders and shaking him. "Are you all right!?"  
  
Tasuki opened his eyes half way and gazed wearily into her worried eyes. "Don't shake me. I hurt enough as it is."  
  
"Oh, thank God you're all right!" she sobbed, leaning down and hugging him.  
  
"Gah! Don't get all mushy on me! I'm fine, okay!? Now get the hell off me!" he demanded, feebly pushing her away and sitting up, trying to hide the pain he was in.  
  
Sadako fell silent and let her gaze fall to her hands and started slightly when she saw a stain of red on them. She snapped her head up and looked him over and gasped when she caught sight of the red spot that was spreading on his torn shirt where the monsters claws had ripped through and slashed his back. "You're bleeding!"  
  
Tasuki bowed his head for a moment to hide another grimace of pain, then pulled himself to his feet. "Dammit," he cursed. "That thing scared our horses away! We lost our stuff!"  
  
Sadako stood as well and grabbed his arms, shocked at his words. "We almost lost more than that, Genrou! What good would our stuff do us if we were dead?"   
  
"But were not dead, are we? Now, come one. We have a longer way to go now that we lost our mode of transportation.  
  
"At least let me treat your wounds so you don't faint from loss of blood!"  
  
"How are you going to "treat my wounds" when all our damn supplies are gone!?" he yelled, whirling around to face her, more frustrated at himself for getting hurt in the battle. She had made him drop his guard, and the thought of a *girl* being able to do that caused a small twinge of fear within him. He quickly avoided meeting her gaze when she looked to him with those blue eyes of hers. For some reason, the thought of seeing her cry bothered him. He turned back around and started down the path, silent, expecting her to follow on her own.  
  
Sadako stood and looked after her for a moment before following. She angrily swiped at a tear the fell down her face, upset that he was so cold and stubborn and because she was the reason why he was hurt. She never should have asked him for his help. If she would have just gone alone like she had planned, he wouldn't be hurt now. She furrowed her brow in confusion. Why did she care so much about him when he hated her with a vengeance? She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to try and stop her tears, but failed drastically as Tasuki's cold look of raw contempt became fresh in her memory. She was beginning to dread the rest of the quest for the ring, thinking that the only reason why he even bother to save her was because he was that greedy for the reward she had promised.  
  
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To be continued...  



	5. Seperation

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The Mystic Ring - Part Five  
By: Lady Genrou  
  
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Disclaimers: Usual apply...  
  
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Tasuki knelt by a small puddle of water on the path and dipped his hands in before reaching over and trying to cool off his burning wounds. Sadako watched and bit her lip, wanting more than anything to help him out. He was unaware of her watching him as he tried to twist his arm around in back of him, trying not to cause himself more pain and keep the water cupped in his hand at the same time, but not accomplishing either. "Dammit!" he exclaimed, bringing his fist down in the water and causing it to splash all over the front if him, angering him more.  
Sadako sighed and gave in to her urge to help and knelt silently beside him, tearing off the bottom hem of her shirt and soaking it in the water before wringing it out and lightly applying it to his back. Tasuki looked to her and went to protest, but stopped himself, the feeling of the cool cloth on his back soothing him. He closed his eyes and slowly began to relax under her touch, enjoying the temporary relief from his injury.  
  
Sadako let her eyes rove over his frame; his well built body revealed to her through the holes in his shirt. His shoulders were broad and tapered down to his narrow waist that was adorned with his long, strong legs. She licked her dry lips and went to dip the rag in the water again to get her mind off the trail of thoughts it was going on. "Better?" she asked softly, reapplying the rag, careful to keep her gaze on his turned away face.  
  
"Yes, thank you," he replied in the softest tone he had used with her since the met.  
  
"Do you want to stop and rest for the remainder of the day?"  
  
Tasuki couldn't reply for a moment, being subconsciously intoxicated by her deallocate touch. He started rather violently as realization dawned on him. He quickly stood and looked down at her, ignoring the confused expression upon her face. "No," he said, his gentle tone now gone. "We can't afford to stop so soon."   
  
"But if you're hurting..."  
  
"You said yourself that the longer you don't have the ring, the more your land and people suffer, didn't you?"  
  
"Well, yes, but I-"  
  
"Then get up, and lets get goin'!"  
  
Sadako didn't even bother to argue with him, knowing that she had no chance at winning. She sighed heavily and stood as well, and continued to follow him, feeling more like a dog than anything else.  
****  
"Stupid beast! What do you mean you didn't get the princess?" Lord Mashou raged, landing a nice, hard kick in the monster's side. The creature gasped and dragged itself away in agony.  
  
"I-I had her in my clutches ... but that boy ... he had the fire t-tessen," it gasped, rubbing it's side.  
  
"What boy!?" Mashou spat, stalking after the all ready wounded creature.  
  
"I don't know, sire! I have never seen him before! The princess called him Genrou though. And he had a great iron fan that shoots fire! The tessen!"  
  
Lord Mashou was silent for a long elapse of time, pondering all of what his animal servant had reported. "Well, then it seems that this Genrou isn't going to make capturing the princess as easy as I had planned..."  
  
"I'm sorry I failed you, Master," the creature whimpered with a light touch of fear in his raspy voice.   
  
Lord Mashou's gaze when to the pathetic creature that laid just a few feet away from him. "This is your lucky day, Zorden... I'm going to give you a second chance." With that, he went over to the animal and held the ring in front of its burnt face. The gem glowed and after a brief about of time, the beast opened his eyes, able to see again.   
  
"A s-second chance?" Zorden stuttered in disbelief.  
  
"Yes. I want you to get rid of this Genrou now that you know what his powers on and take his tessen. Then bring it and the princess back here to me. I want her alive so she can watch as I destroy her kingdom and take it over as my own."   
  
Zorden pulled himself to his four feet and dipped his long neck down in a bow. "I shall not fail you again, Master."  
  
"Good. Now go."  
  
Zorden spread his great, scaly wings and flew off with a gush of wind as he flapped them to get his mammoth body air-bound. Lord Mashou remained where he was, lost in thought again. "My lucky day as well," he mused out loud. "Not only will I have the mystic ring, but that fire tessen too. Things couldn't get any better than this!" He continued, his loud, evil laugh echoing throughout the court yard of his palace.  
****  
The silence that hung about her and Tasuki was practically unbearable. Never has she felt so incredibly akward and uneasy around one person before. She didn't dare talk to him, for fear that he would lash out at her like he always did when she spoke. She still wasn't used to having a boy of such a lower stature reign over her the way Tasuki did.  
  
He was hurting, and badly at that. The monsters claws had cut him deeper than he thought, but still he pressed on. The silence didn't bother him. He was actually thankful for it. The less talking they did, the less distracted he would be, and the faster they would reach Konan to get that ring of hers. And then of course there was the reward. He almost stopped completely in his tracks when he realized that he had forgotten the main reason why he agreed to help her. 'That thing must have hit me pretty damn hard...' he thought to himself. 'Good thing Kouji isn't here... I would never hear the end of this.' Tasuki smirked at the memory of his friend making kissy faces at him. Kouji could be such an idiot at times. He absently gazed back at Sadako to check on her.  
  
She didn't notice him do so. Her head was bowed slightly and her eyes downcast to the ground. Tasuki looked forward after a moment of watching her. She seemed so sad. Maybe he was being too cold to her? She was pretty shaken up when she discovered that he was hurt. Maybe he should try being social for a change? 'What the *hell* are you thinking, Tasuki!?' he scolded himself mentally. 'She's just a damn, crybaby girl! If it weren't for her, you would be at camp with the others, preparing for raids instead of playing peek-a-boo with evil lords and creatures and after some stupid ring.' Then a thought occurred to him. Perhaps she made up everything about the ring? Maybe this was one big trap; a ploy schemed up by someone seeking revenge from one of his past raids? That whole scene in the forest could have simply been a set up to get him right where he was needed. 'I'm such an idiot!'  
  
Angry, he turned on her suddenly. "There is no damn ring, is there?"  
  
Sadako was taken completely by surprise by that. "Wha-? What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, you conniving little witch! I cant believe I fell so easily for your little act!"  
  
Sadako looked at him oddly, not sure what to make of this. "What? I don't know what you're talking about! Of course there's a ring!"  
  
"How do I know you're not lying? How do I know that this Mashou guy isn't really after me?"  
  
"You're being silly!"  
  
"I am not! I should have thought of this long ago! This is some form of revenge, isn't it; because of one of the raids me and my boys went on?"   
  
"Genrou, I have no idea what you're babbling about! Why in the world would I lie to you about something like this??"  
  
"I dunno. Yer the liar. You tell me."  
  
Sadako was enraged at his words. "You-you self centered, immature, brat!! How dare you treat me like this!! You have no right!"  
  
"Wait a second there, sister! Yer the one that doesn't have the right to lie to me!"  
  
"I'm not lying to you!!" she screamed at him, shaking with fury.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"I *hate* you, Genrou!! You and your damn stubbornness and cold attitude towards me!! I don't even know why I bothered asking for your help in the first place! I wish that monster would have killed you!!" And with those final words, she burst into tears and ran in the opposite direction away from him.  
  
Tasuki was stunned for a moment, but then was consumed by overwhelming anger. He kicked a rock hard after her and yelled. "Yeah!? Well, I hope that Mashou guy destroys your whole kingdom and that you never find that God damned ring! If there really is one!!"  
  
He had never been so furious in all his life! Who did she think she was playing him like that? And why the hell did he ever fall for such a stupid story like that? That monster was supposed to be the cause of his death and she set him up! Why else would she ask the leader of a band of bandits to accompany her on such a stupid quest? Then why did she seem so scared when she thought he was dead? 'A damn act,' he told himself quickly. 'Tryin' to make you believe that she was good so she could get the chance to try and kill ya again. You really are stupid, Tasuki. Almost deserve to be killed for believing a girl.'  
  
He turned suddenly as he heard her scream out his name in the distance. He almost started to go after her, but then stopped himself. "Smart, Tasuki! Walk right into your own death!" he spat out loud to himself, then turned back around to leave, only to stop again at another one of her screams. "God dammit!!" he cursed, then turned the other way once again and took off in the direction of where the screaming came from. "Princess?" he called as he made his way through the brush of the forest. "Princess, where are you?"  
  
"Genrou!! Help me!"  
  
"Princess!"  
  
There before him was a tall, wiry man cloaked in black, with long, silver hair that fell in front of his pupil-less eyes which made him seem like he were blind. On the front of his jerkin was an elaborate dragon embroidered on it with golden thread. His pants were tucked into his black, knee high boots, and around his narrow waist in a golden sheath was a large, jewel incrested sword. He had the princess slung over his shoulder and smirked when Tasuki came into view. "Well, well. Prince Charming to the rescue."  
  
"Let her go!" Tasuki demanded, pulling out his tessen and taking a stance to prepare to use it.  
  
The smirk on the mans face faded as he narrowed his eyes and shot out a bolt of electricity at him, striking Tasuki in the chest and sending him crashing into a tree, knocking the wind out of him momentarily. "The princess is mine now. And once I get the ring from that fool Mashou, I shall rule all the world," the man said in a clam, deep voice, that smirk playing at his fine lips once again. "Say good bye to your little boy friend, my dear."  
  
"Genrou!!"  
  
With a cry of anger, Tasuki sprung to his feet and charged the stranger, but he moved out of the way and Tasuki fell to the ground, turning around in enough time to see the man disappear with the princess still in his possession.  
  
"Sadako!! No!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
To be continued...  



	6. Lord Kiyoshi

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The Mystic Ring - Part Six  
By: Lady Genrou  
  
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Disclaimers: Usual disclaimers apply.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Sadako retreated against a wall far from where the stranger was standing after he let her go in a guest room of his domain. The man smiled lightly, closing the door and turning to face her with such grace, it seemed that his every move had been plotted out before hand. "Now, now, my dear. There's no need to be frightened."  
  
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Sadako demanded, gathering her courage and taking a small step towards him.  
  
"I'm looking for what everyone else wants from you: the Mystic Ring."  
  
"Even if I did have it, I wouldn't give it to you!"  
  
"I figured that much. And I suppose you're expecting me to kill you because of that reason, aren't you?"  
  
Sadako simply glared in response, not commenting on that.   
  
"The truth is," the man continued, "I don't really know how to use the ring. That's where you come into the picture. Taking it from Mashou will be a breeze, and once I have it, you will become my humble servant and teach me the secret of it's powers."  
  
"I will do nothing of the sort!" she retorted sharply.  
  
"Ah, you see, i predicted you would say that." He paused a moment and twirled a lock of his silver hair around his long, agile index finger. "And this is where your little boy friend comes into play."  
  
"Genrou?" Sadako stared at him in horror. "No, leave him alone!"  
  
The man chuckled and slowly strode to her in a casual manner. "Sorry, my dear, but to ensure that you will fully cooperate with me, I have arranged for my men to pick him up and bring him here as well."  
  
"If you harm him, I swear, I'll-" she began angrily, starting after him.  
  
He swiftly grabbed her wrist and twisted it so that she was force to turn so her back was pressed against him. Sadako let out a cry of pain and surprise and he bent his head down close to her ear. "You can't do anything, my dear. You seem to forget that you are my prisoner. And if you continue to refuse to help me, I will personally see to it that your boy friend doesn't live another day."  
  
****  
  
Tasuki laid there on the ground for a long moment, his breath labored and his body shuddering with pain. He was hurt pretty badly. Slowly he pulled himself up to a sitting position, then with more effort, to his feet, leaning against a tree trunk for support. He had no idea what to do now. The princess never said anything about that man being after the ring! Perhaps her story was true after all? Tasuki closes his eyes and cursed to himself, realizing that it was his fault that she was kidnapped. If he had only let her help...  
  
He shook his head. No, he didn't need anyone to help him; especially a girl. But that twinge of guilt in the pit of his stomach wouldn't leave even after his attempts to tell himself other wise. With a grunt, he pushed himself upright from the tree and started forward, holding one shoulder. He had no choice. He had to go after alone. He didn't want to go back for help. Not only would his men thing he was weak, but he didn't want to endanger any of their lives. Especially Kouji's. Tasuki knew that he wouldn't hesitate to battle this enemy, and would no doubt end up in worse condition that him or dead. Even if he wanted to go back, Tasuki knew that it wouldn't be any use. His men were off on raids. There was no other option. He had to rescue Sadako and on his own.  
  
Tasuki trudged forward down the dirt road, not having a clue on where he was going, but he kept going, the thought that Sadako was in danger urging him to continue. He stopped suddenly as he hear the faint snapping of a twig, and carefully scanned his surroundings. He wasn't alone...  
  
He hesitated a moment before starting down the road again at a slightly slower pace, straining his ears to see if he could hear anything else. "Cooo.."   
  
Tasuki froze again and looked about, rather annoyed now. "All right! Where the hell are ya!?"  
  
"Cooo..."  
  
He looked up at the gnarled branches of a tree above him in enough time to see a figure cloaked in black leap down at him, striking him in the back of the head with the butt of a sword, causing him to drop to his knees. Tasuki's vision went fuzzy for a moment before he blacked out.  
  
****  
  
"Where is our guest?" asked Sadako's captor when his henchman in the black cloak hobbled over to him.  
  
"Locked away in the East Wing like you ordered, Master Kiyoshi," responded the henchman.  
  
"Excellent. I believe it is time for me to pay him a welcoming visit."  
  
The cloaked man only snickered evilly as he watched his master exit.  
  
When Tasuki came to, he found himself shackled to a wall in a small, dark room that reeked of mold and human perspiration. He closes his eyes a moment, then shook his head, forcing his vision to go back in to focus. He looked over his shoulder, noticing that his tessen was gone. "Hey!" he cried, trying in vain to free himself by pulling at the chains that held him in place.  
  
"Struggling won't do you any good, boy," Kiyoshi chuckled.  
  
Tasuki snapped his head up, finding that man in the threshold of the doorway, not even realizing that he had even entered. "You!! What did you do with the princess!?" Tasuki demanded.  
  
"Don't worry. She is safe ... but you on the other hand... I believe you have gotten yourself into quite a spot."  
  
"I don't care what ya do to me! You better let the girl go, or else-"  
  
"Or else what?" Kiyoshi spat, storming over to him and grabbing the collar of Tasuki's shirt and shaking him. "You can't do a thing, boy!" Kiyoshi released him roughly and stood up straight, his tone calmer now. "I shall enjoy watching the princess' reaction to your slow and very painful death."  
  
"Yer bluffin!"  
  
"Don't toy with me, boy. You merely got a small sample of my powers earlier today, but tomorrow at daybreak, you will experience them full on."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
To be continued...  
  



	7. Escape From Kiyoshi's Palace

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The Mystic Ring - Part Seven  
By: Lady Genrou  
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Kiyoshi, cloaked in a black, velvet cape snuck easily past the sleeping guards to where the Mystic Ring was kept, guarded by Zorden, who was sleeping as well. A glowing, purple haze encircled Kiyoshi as he hovered a few feet off the ground and chuckled to himself. "This is far too easy. Surely Mashou has a bigger challenge than this for me," he said out loud as he plucked the ring from it's stand.  
  
"Don't think that I will let you get away that easily, Lord Kiyoshi," came a raspy voice from behind him. Kiyoshi turned and found himself face to face with Zorden.   
  
"You can't stop me now. I have the ring. I'm invincible," Kiyoshi replied simply, smirking.   
  
"You are a fool, Kiyoshi, and I hate fools. Prepare to die!"  
  
With that, Zorden lunged forward with his big, gaping jaws at Kiyoshi, who merely stood there and looked strangely calm. With a flowing gesture, he held up his arm and shot a bolt of power from his palm, sending Zorden crashing into the stone wall of the cave. "Who's the fool now?" Kiyoshi mocked as he sauntered over to the wounded dragon that lay shuddering with pain on the cold ground. "You're pathetic. A creature of your size and power can't even defeat me."  
  
Zorden forced himself to his feet and glared at Kiyoshi. "You're the pathetic one here ... you have to use spells to get rid of me." Zorden sneered.   
  
Kiyoshi's eyes flashed with another bold of deadly energy, but it faded after a moment. "I don't have time to deal with a lowly beast such as yourself. Your insults do not effect me in the least. They only prove just how much weaker you are."  
  
The quick-tempered Zorden let out a furious growl and charged at Kiyoshi, only to stop suddenly and gasp. Zorden then fell to the ground once more, blood trickling from the wound from where he ran right into Kiyoshi's sword. Zorden attempted to speak, but all that was emitted from his throat was a bloody gurgle. Then his eyes closed and his massive head tilted to the side as he died.  
*****  
"Stop it! Let me go!"  
  
Tasuki lifted his head at the sound of Sadako's screams drawing nearer. The door of his prison room was then opened and Kiyoshi entered followed by two men who held the princess tightly in their clutches. "Sadako!" Tasuki cried, trying again to tug at the chains that held him back in a futile attempt to free himself.  
  
"Genrou! He has my ring! Kiyoshi has the ring!"   
  
Kiyoshi held out his hand and showed Tasuki the glowing ring which was suspended in mid air. "Yes, I have it. And I also have the fire tessen." With that, Kiyoshi reached behind him and drew Tasuki's fan from a harness strapped onto his back. "Now which one to use first is the question here." He chuckled evilly and leveled his gaze on Tasuki. "It would be quite amusing to see you parish by the flame of your own weapon ... but I could practice using the ring's powers as well." He paused for a moment. "Perhaps I shall use both, starting with the ring, then finishing you off with the tessen."  
  
"You damn coward!" Tasuki screamed, his voice raspy from raw fury.   
  
"Silence! You will die now!"  
  
Kiyoshi let out an angry cry and he aimed the ring at Tasuki. The gem began to glow a bright, yellow hue as its energy charged up. Tasuki closed his eyes and braced himself, waiting for the worst, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes in enough time to see the guards on the ground, unconscious, and Kiyoshi holding his face where the rings power had struck him.  
  
"Rekka shien!" Sadako screamed, using Tasuki's tessen to blow Kiyoshi back against the wall while he was dazed. Tasuki blinked a few times, bewildered by everything, wondering maybe if he was in a dream.  
  
Sadako grabbed the keys off one of the guard's belt and ran to Tasuki and unlocked his shackles. "Hurry, Genrou! We have to get out of here!"  
  
Tasuki stood and went over to Kiyoshi and grabbed the ring, then took Sadako by the hand and ran out of the room, pulling her after him. Guards from other posts had all ready started to come to see what all the commotion was and drew their weapons when they saw the two of them trying to escape. "Give me that!" Tasuki exclaimed, taking his tessen from her and turning to face the group of soldiers. "REKKA SHIEN!" The blast of fire blew them all away, clearing their path and allowing them to escape from Kiyoshi's palace.  
  
Tasuki and Sadako didn't stop running even when the palace grounds were out of sight. Tasuki knew that if they slowed down now, it would be easy for Kiyoshi's men to catch up with them. Sadako forced herself to keep up with him. She wasn't used to running, and her legs were growing very tired at a fast rate. She let out a cry of surprise as she felt her foot slip in the soft mound of dirt that formed a fairly steep slope of a hill in the forest ground. Tasuki, who still had a hold on her hand, felt her begin to fall and turned quickly, taking her in his arms, using his own body as a shield to protect her from debris as they tumbled down the face of the hill.   
  
The fall felt like it was in slow motion to Sadako as she clung to Tasuki until they finally rolled to a stop in a puddle of mud at the bottom. She didn't open her eyes for a long moment before realizing that they had stopped and she had survived. Her breath came fast and her body ached from scratched and bumps she had attained, but nothing to serious. She lifted her head, finding herself still in Tasuki's arms, pressed close to his chest. His face had a grimace of pain on it as his breath came fast too. "Genrou?" she called softly. Tasuki opened his eyes and looked to her, a stream of blood trickling down his temple.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked weakly, reaching up with one hand and brushing a muddy strand of her hair from her scratched face.  
  
"Yes... Thanks to you."  
  
Tasuki smiled lightly and held her close to him, relieved beyond words that she wasn't seriously injured. Sadako's eyes widened a moment in surprise, but then closed as she sighed softly and stayed like that for a long while, comforted by his tender embrace. "Do you still have the ring?" she inquired, breaking the silence. Tasuki finally let her go and rolled on his back for a moment after she sat up, then pulled himself upright as well.  
  
"Sure do," he grinned, holding up his hand and wiggling his little finger. Sadako felt tears of joy sting her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him excitedly, taking her turn at doing the surprising with spontaneous embraces.  
  
"Thank you, Genrou! Thank you so much!"  
  
"It was no problem... Now don't get all mushy on me, okay?" His voice was soft as he gently stroked her hair. Sadako pulled back again and smiled brightly up at him.  
  
"I can go home now and help my people!"  
  
"How far is your home from here?" Tasuki asked, getting to his feet with minimal effort, then reaching down and helping her stand too.  
  
"It's past Konan... I still have a long way to go."  
  
"Hold on a second there, sister. Dontcha mean we have a long way to go?"  
  
Sadako was taken aback by his words. "You're going to come with me?"  
  
"Well, of course. No doubt that Kiyoshi guy is goin' to be pretty pissed off when he wake up and I gotta be around to save your butt if he comes after ya, which I'm sure he will. And there's also that Mashou character."  
  
"Genrou... I-I don't know what to say..."  
  
Tasuki smiled and adjusted his harness that his tessen was slung in. "Then just say 'yer a great guy, Genrou,' and let's get the hell outta here."  
  
Sadako couldn't help a soft laugh. "You're a great guy, Genrou."   
  
"That was a pretty smooth move ya did back there at Kiyoshi's; using my tessen that is."  
  
"Well, I've always been curious about how it worked since I first met you. I figured this would be my only chance to ever use it."  
  
Tasuki smirked and shook his head. "You girls are sneaky. Oh, and why didn't that blast from the ring that he shot hit me?"  
  
"As rightful owner of the ring, I can control the power should it be shot by evil. Think of it as a safety feature, I guess."  
  
"Well, thats nifty... Hey, Princess?"  
  
"Yes?" Sadako asked, curious by his sudden tone change.  
  
"I'm sorry about before and how I accused you of lying... I shouldn't have said all those things to ya."  
  
She smile and gently layed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about. It's in the past. Let's just focus on getting me home now, all right?"  
  
Tasuki raised his head and met her gentle gaze. "Yeah... okay. Let's go."  
  



	8. Hidden Enemies

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The Mystic Ring - Part Eight  
By: Lady Genrou  
  
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The sun was beginning to sink down into the horizon in the distance, tinting the once blue sky and range of brilliant warm colors from a light lavender, to a bright pink or red orange. The early evening breeze was chilly as it whispered through the treetops of the forest, causing stray leaves to float gracefully to the ground in scattered piles. The past day or two since their escape from Kiyoshi's palace had been very enjoyable. Sadako shivered as she wrapped her around around herself, her stomach emitting a low, hungry rumble. Tasuki glanced over to her, smirking lightly. "Hungry, eh?"   
  
"A little, yes."  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll come across something soon," he replied, taking off his black trench coat and slipping it around her shoulders.  
  
Sadako blinked and looked to him, surprised at his actions, but gratefully held his coat around her to keep out the cold. "Thank you..."   
  
It wasn't long before the two of them came across a small cottage in the woods. The lights on the inside were turned on; indicating that someone had to be home. "You wanna see if we can crash there for the night? It'll be better than sleeping out here in the woods."   
  
Sadako nodded stifling a drowsy yawn and followed him to the front door.  
  
Tasuki knocked lightly on the door, then took a step back, waiting for someone to answer. After a moment, he knocked again, then waited. Another beat of silence went by. Tasuki sighed and looked to Sadako. "C'mon. Let's get outta here. No ones home."   
  
Just when they were about to leave, the sound of the front door creaking open made them turn back around. A tall man with shaggy blonde hair was standing in the threshold. His once blue eyes, now fogged over and stared out to nothing, in particular; he was blind. "Yes? Who's there?"  
  
Tasuki blinked, then glanced at Sadako a moment before answering. "Hi there, buddy. The lady and me here are travelers and we were wonderin' if maybe you can put us up for the night."   
  
"The lady? But of course. Do come in," the man said with a smile, stepping aside to let them enter and closing the door behind them. "My name is Kouske Ueno. I was just about to make some supper. Are you two hungry?"  
  
"Oh, yes! Starving!" Sadako responded quickly.  
  
Kouske chuckled softly and made his way around effortlessly through his home as he began to prepare supper. "Please, sit and make yourselves at home and tell me all about your travels. It's been such a long time since I've had company."  
  
Tasuki sat at the large wooden table after pulling a chair out for Sadako. "Well, I come from Mount Reikaku. It's not too far away from here actually. Oh, and my name's Genrou."  
  
Kouske nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And how about you, miss? Where have you come from?"  
  
"I'm from the land of Kejuti. It's quite a long way from here."  
  
"That it is. Mind if I ask what has brought you all the way out here?"  
  
"Business. I have a high social status there."  
  
"I see..." Kouske came around and set down a bowl full of warm stew in front of them. "It's nothing special, but it will warm you up and fill your stomachs." He sat down as well with his own bowl and continued the conversation. "Genrou, you say that you're from Mount Reikaku? Isn't that supposedly where a bandit hideout is?"   
  
Tasuki looked up from slurping his soup and grinned. "You hear of me and my men then?"  
  
Kouske's kind expression suddenly turned cold. "Unfortunatly, yes."  
  
Tasuki was shocked at that for a moment, but collected himself and glared at Kouske. "What do ya mean by that?"  
  
"It was your men, Genrou, that ransacked my old village. It was because of you and you're men that my blindness was caused and why I live all the way out here on my own."  
  
The room was filled with a tense silence. Neither Sadako nor Tasuki knew what to say to that at first, but Tasuki felt his quick temper begin to surface. "Well, a man has to make a living some how. So what I do may not be the most honest kind of job, but I really had no choice."  
  
"I don't believe that," Kouske retorted sharply. "You had a choice."  
  
Tasuki slammed down his fist on the table angrily and rose to his feet. "And how the hell would you know that, wise guy?! You don't know a damn thing about me! How dare you shoot yer mouth off at me like that! I oughtta toast yer stupid ass for it!"  
  
"Genrou! Please, calm down! Both of you stop!" Sadako interjected frantically, fearing the worse in the back of her mind. The two men ignored her pleading.  
  
Kouske stood calmly and picked up his bowl of untouched soup, then casually made his way around the table, acting as if he were going to pick up the dishes, but dumped the bowl over Tasuki's head. Enrage, Tasuki grabbed a hand full of his shirt and pulled him roughly forward. "What the hell do you think yer tryin' t' pull here!? You just want to die, dontcha, buddy!?"  
  
"Where is it?"   
  
Tasuki was taken aback by that sudden question, but his anger didn't fade in the least. "Where's what!?"  
  
"I know its here... I can feel it."  
  
Tasuki let out a cry of surprise and released Kouske as the foggy film over his eyes rose open like a second eyelid. Seeing this too, Sadako got up fast and backed away from the table. "What the hell are you!?" Tasuki demanded, standing protectively in front of the princess.   
  
"Sadako.... Don't tell me that you have forgotten about your dear friend, Roya."  
  
Kouske's body began to shudder violently as his flesh melted away, revealing a reptile-like monster underneath. Sadako's hands flew to her mouth in sheer surprise. "Roya!"  
  
"You know this thing!?" Tasuki exclaimed, bewildered by everything that has happened so far.  
  
"Thing? Now that's not very nice. I haven't done anything to deserve to be called names...yet," Roya let out a hiss of a laugh after that sentence. Tasuki drew his tessen and prepared himself to attack.   
  
"Yeah? Well, I'm not gonna give ya a chance to do a damn thing!"  
  
"Oh, you brought a toy too? It's very nice, but I think that you should see mine!"   
  
With that, Roya launched several ninja star-like disks at Tasuki, which caught on his clothing and drug him across the room and right into a wall, pinning him there. Sadako gasped and started forward to help him, but was caught roughly by the arm by Roya. "I don't think so, my dear. This is not a fight for ladies to get involved in."   
  
"Get yer dirty hands off her!" Tasuki demanded, using all his might to pull his arm free from the wall. Roya smirked and watched as he did so.  
  
"Impressive, Genrou. You're not that weak after all."  
  
With another burst of strength, Tasuki pulled himself completely free from the wall and aimed his tessen out with both hands at Roya. His shoulder heaved from labored breathing, and his clothed tattered from where the sharp weapons had ripped through and pierced his skin as they did so. "I said, let her go!" Tasuki growled, his voice hoarse from anger.  
  
Roya drew Sadako close to him, that annoying smirk still on his lips. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I've grown quite...attached to Princess Sadako."  
  
"Roya...How have you managed to come back?" Sadako asked, trying to push away from him.  
  
"It seems that your guards failed to do a good job of killing me when you so kindly exiled me for Kejuti. I was able to come across Kouske before dying and possessed his body. But I wasn't able to turn to my natural form until now when he let his hatred for Genrou consume him. I thrive off hatred."  
  
"This can't be happening!"  
  
"Oh, but it is, my dear...It is..." Roya replied in a whisper, sticking out his red, forked tongue and slowly licking her cheek.  
  
"Rekka shein!"  
  
Tasuki used his tessen to launch a small fireball at him, making it small so it wouldn't hurt Sadako in any way. Roya let out a loud, high pitched, raptor like scream as the fire singed his arm. He snapped his head back forward and bared his razor sharp teeth at Tasuki before pushing Sadako out of the way and charging him. Being naturally light footed and quick, Tasuki was able to jump over the attack and swing his fan around, catching the creature in the back of the head. Roya wasn't even fazed by the blow and rounded again in a   
second attempt to pounce on him, clawing and biting like a mad animal.   
  
Tasuki was able to block most of the attacks from Roya and his claws with his tessen, but was caught off guard when Roya whipped his tail around and knocked him against another wall with a force strong enough to knock the wind out of him. Roya's claws sprouted out and he trapped Tasuki by the neck to   
the wall with them. "You are a good fighter, Genrou. It's a shame that I'm going to half to kill you now."   
  
Roya drew back his other hand to strike Tasuki with a blow that would be powerful enough to knock his head right off his shoulders. "Roya! No! Please!" Sadako screamed, still in the spot where she had fallen when Roya pushed her to the ground where she watched the entire fight helplessly. Tasuki had been too close to the enemy for her to use the ring's power. She didn't know how to control the size of the blasts yet, and didn't want to take a chance of wounding him.   
  
Tasuki closed his eyes tightly as Roya began to swing his arm at him, bracing for the worst, but nothing happened. Tasuki opened his eyes as Roya let out another of his shrill, animal shrieks and found himself surrounded in a haze of red light, the wing symbol on his right forearm glowing brightly. Sadako   
watched in awe as the strange read light blew Roya away from Tasuki and encircled him and slowly shrunk ins size, constricting the monster. Suddenly the light grew to such an intense brightness, Tasuki and Sadako had to look away and shield their eyes. Roya screamed one last time before exploding into millions of little pieces that faded away with the red light.  
  
Sadako opened her eyes when all was quiet. They were alone now in the cottage. Not knowing what to make of the scene, she turned quickly to Tasuki for an explanation.   
  
Tasuki was just as bewildered as her though. He remained against the wall, his eyes wide, and slowly sank to the floor in disbelief. Frightened, Sadako quickly went to his side and took hold of his arm. "Genrou! Are you all right!?" she ask frantically. Tasuki kept starting forward, unblinking, but managed a small nod. "What was that light!?"   
  
"I-I don't know..." he stammered, finally blinking and looking down at his arm where his character was still glowing a little.   
  
Sadako looked down as well, confused. "What is that?"   
  
"Its a mark of Suzaku..." Tasuki replied after collecting himself. "I-I had no idea that it had that much power..."   
  
Sadako was even more confused. "Suzaku?"   
  
Tasuki nodded and began to explain. "Legend has it that a chick from another world will come and gather all of her seven seishi. Each of 'em has a special mark some where on their body. After we're all gathered, the chick will be able summon some sort of God. I belong to the God Suzaku. Each God: Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu have seven warriors of their own too. The mark on my arm, the wings symbol, is also my star name, Tasuki..."   
  
Sadako shook her head gently, trying to register all that the told her. "So, your star name is Tasuki, and you belong to a group of seven seishi of Suzaku?"   
  
"Pretty much ... yeah."   
  
"Why didn't you tell me before?"   
  
Tasuki shrugged. "I dunno... I guess I didn't want you to get freaked out or somethin'. And I really don't think its that big of a deal. So I got a special mark and belong to the Suzaku Seven. The miko chick hasn't come and I don't think she ever will. And I've yet to meet others that are celestial warriors too."   
  
Sadako remained silent, not knowing what to say or to think of this whole ordeal. She had only heard little pieces of the Genbu seven who's land was not too far from her, but she always thought it was a myth. But right before her was a flesh and blood warrior of the God Suzaku! Too tired to worry about it at the moment, she sighed and bowed her head a little. "Can we just get out of here? I'm thinking that perhaps sleeping on the forest floor is safer that in this house..."   
  
Tasuki stood slowly, hurting a little from his injuries, and reached down to help her up; the symbol on his arm fading. "Yeah... Let's get outta here."   
  
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To be conintued...  



	9. 

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Mystic Ring ~ Part Nine  
By: Lady Genrou  
  
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Sadako watched Tasuki sleep from underneath the warmth of his coat after they settled down in a small clearing in the forest. He had fallen asleep hours ago, but the nights previous events didn't let her sleep. The thought of one enemy surviving like that made her very uneasy. Roya had been exiled for attempting to take over her homeland by attempting to assassinate her and her mother.  
  
"Screw you, Kouji!"   
  
Sadako was startled out of her thoughts by Tasuki's outburst in his sleep. She couldn't help a small smile. He must have been dreaming about being back home with his men on Mt. Reikaku. He must be homesick. About a week had passed already and she wasn't exactly sure how many more were to come before she got home.   
  
Tasuki rolled over on his side with a soft snore, now facing her. Sadako watched his mouth twitch and then open slightly, his canines peeking out from under his fine lips. His fiery hair fell in his face and she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and brush it back. He didn't even flinch. He had to be exhausted after everything that has happened. He had done so much all ready to protect her. Sadako also noticed a change in him ever since they escaped from Kiyoshi's palace. He wasn't cold to her anymore and his eyes were soft when he looked at her.   
  
Sadako hesitated for a moment, but then gently scooted closer to him, pulling some of his coat over him to keep him warm. She closed her eyes only to open them again when she felt an arm come around her. Tasuki looked at her drowsily with a light smile before falling back asleep almost instantly again. Sadako sighed softly and cuddled up against him, closing her eyes, sleep finally overpowering her.  
  
****  
  
Tasuki awoke the next morning to find Sadako nestled securely in his embrace. Startled, he let her go and sat up quickly, never expecting to wake up to that. He watched her stir in her sleep for a moment before turning and absently brushing debris from the forest ground out of his hair.   
  
Things haven't been the same for him since he met Sadako. So far the adventures that he's been on have been more dangerous and exciting that the raids back at Mt. Reikaku. But there was something else too that wasn't the same. He looked back to her again, studying every feature of her pretty face. Without even thinking, he reached out and brushed stray locks of her jet, black hair from her forehead, letting his fingertips gently trail down her temples and then down to her cheek, caressing it lightly. As if in a trance, he didn't even realize that he had begun to move his lips closer to her slightly parted ones.  
  
Sadako had only been half-asleep when Tasuki moved earlier, and was more awake when she felt his gentle touch upon her face. After a moment of debate, she slowly opened her eyes and started slightly when she found him so close to her. She held her breath as he froze, inches away from making contact with her lips and could only stare back into his eyes, not exactly sure of what to do. Then, she closed her eyes again when he closed the distance between them and returned the kiss.  
  
It only lasted a moment though, for Tasuki realized just what he was doing and pulled back suddenly, blushing furiously. Sadako quickly opened her eyes and looked to him, taking a moment to collect herself. "Genrou..." she whispered finally when she managed to locate her voice. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered in reply as he got to his feet and started to walk off.  
  
Sadako sat up and called after him to stop. When he did, she got to her feet and hurried over to him and lightly took his arm. "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"But I... kissed ya," he responded, not yet able to look her in the eyes.  
  
"So? What's so wrong about that?"  
  
"Well... I just never did that to a girl before. I've always hated them, and now, I'm just suddenly startin' to kiss em. Hell, you weren't even really awake!"  
  
Sadako couldn't help a small smile. "Ah, so I see that you, Mr. "Rough and Tough" bandit has developed a soft spot for we girls, hm?"   
  
"No! I don't know what the hell yer talkin' about. I ain't soft! 'Specially when it comes to girls! Feh." Tasuki tried his best to keep his voice from faltering as he turned from her. He felt his breath catch in his throat when her arms went about his waist as she hugged him from behind.   
  
"Tasuki... It's all right," he heard her say softly, resting her head lightly on his back. That was the first time she had called him anything other than Genrou. Tasuki was rigid, not fully comfortable with this, but moved his hands to rest lightly on top of hers as he looked down at them in wonder. He really was a softy after all. All those years of building up walls around himself to keep girls away had all ready begun crashing down the first night that they met, even though he never admitted it to himself. He hated it when people could see just how afraid he was of things. 'I'm a goddamn bandit, fer cryin' out loud!' he told himself. 'But still... I guess this is okay. She ain't too bad fer a girl.... Gah. I hope Kouji never finds out 'bout this one...'  
  
Tasuki gently pulled back away from her after a moment to turn and face her. "We better get goin'. Maybe there's a city or somethin' up ahead where we can get food and a place t' sleep?"   
  
Sadako nodded and reached out, holding his coat to him. Tasuki smirked and shook his head. "Naw, that's okay. You can keep it fer now. It's still kinda chilly out, and I ain't that cold."  
  
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The city was pretty crowded for it's size and Sadako absently took Tasuki by the hand in fear that they might get separated. He didn't mind of course, but it was still a little embarrassing since he wasn't quite used to having a girl hang onto him. He was used to cities since he traveled back and forth to different ones on raids with Kouji and the gang. His thoughts began to drift back to all his buddies on Mount Reikaku. He wondered if they were doing all right without their leader and if that Kouji managed keeping them all from bringing the place down.  
  
It wasn't too long before they cam across a small inn more towards the outskirts of the city. Neither of them was too happy with the location, but since it was really all they could afford, they took a room, not having any other choice. And since it wasn't the best area, it wasn't too crowded. There only had to be maybe five other people checked in, not including themselves.   
  
At dinner that night, Sadako sat quietly and only picked at her food. Tasuki was doing his best not to order too much to drink. He was aware of Sadako's gloomy state and didn't want to make things worse by getting himself drunk. It took practically all his strength to resist ordering helpings after his second cup. He watched her as he took a small sip in his attempt to savor ever drop over the rim of his cup, noticing she hardly touched her food. "What's wrong?" he asked after setting it back down.   
  
Sadako glanced up at him and laid her chopsticks to the side with a sigh.  
  
"I'm just worried."  
  
"'Bout yer kingdom? What fer? Ya got the ring with ya."  
  
"Yes, but that isn't enough. I need to be back with it. And I am now the ruler. I have no idea how everything is fairing without me there to oversee things."  
  
"I'm sure yer people are just fine. I mean, not t' sound mean or nuthing, but as long as ya have that ring, all them bad bastards are gonna be after us. What good is yer kingdom t' them without th' ring?"   
  
"I've been thinking about that too, but even if everything is safe, I still need to get back as soon as I can."   
  
A tall woman with a shawl wrapped around her face came by their table and set down two glasses for them. "The house special on me. We're giving all the guests a free sample since there are so few here."  
  
"Hey, all right! This is my kinda place!" Tasuki laughed as he forgot his promise to himself and began to gulp the beverage down. Sadako blinked and watched as the woman stood off the side, watching them a moment before turning and going thought the doors that lead to the inn's kitchen. She glanced back to Tasuki and couldn't help a small smile, catching a glimpse of some of the cup's content dribbling down his chin. She then too picked up her cup and sipped from it.   
  
She was almost done with hers when she noticed that Tasuki looked a little pale. Concerned, she reached out across the table and touched his hand. "Tasuki? Are you all right? You don't look to well all of a sudden..."   
  
"Sadako... don't drink that... I think it was poisoned..."   
  
Tasuki closed his eyes tightly to try and make the room stop spinning, but it didn't work. His vision started to go black as he felt himself begin to collapse; Sadako's frightened cries incoherent. But it didn't take long for the drink to do its dirty work on her either. She too lost conciseness and her limp body fell upon Tasuki's after she went to his side in attempt to help him.  
  
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To be continued...   
  
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Tell me what you guys think! ^_^ Thanks for reading so far!   



	10. For the Sake of the One I Love

AN: This is my second attempt at writing this chapter. The first time, it was in a e-mail so i could send it to a friend of mine to read what I had and to myself, but my computer froze and I ended up losing in -_-;;. I was seriously fmeeked off, but I've cooled down enough to try it again...in an e-mail. I don't think it will freeze this time. Knock on wood... ::reaches over and knocks on Tasuki's head:: ^_^v   
  
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When Sadako awoke, she found herself on a cold, stone floor of a prison cell with her wrists bound behind her and rusty shackles around her ankles. She slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position, her head still swimming from the side effects of the potion that was put in her drink. Across the way, Tasuki's unconscious form lay, also bound and shackled. "Tasuki?" she called, attempting to wake him, but it was futile. He drank more than she did. He would no doubt be out for a while. Those glasses were a good size and there was no telling how much poison that hag put in to it.  
  
The squeal of old hinges caused her to start and turn around. The door to the prison slowly swung open, a tall and very muscular man wearing black battle armor stepped in, his face stony with his black, beady eyes sunk deep in their sockets. His oily hair hung in the same ratted way over one of his shoulders as he made his way to the cell and opened the door. "At last we meet face to face, Princess."  
  
Sadako instinctively felt her finger for the ring, but found that it was no longer there. "Where is it, Mashou?" she demanded.  
  
"Where's what? Oh, you mean this?" Lord Mashou reached into a small satchel that was looped on his belt and held the ring out in his palm for her to see. Sadako glared at him.  
  
"Give it back."  
  
"I don't think so my dear. You are going to agree to be my medium into your city."  
  
"Over my dead body!"  
  
Mashou smirked and eyed Tasuki coolly. "You mean over his dead body."  
  
Sadako felt her face blanch as she too turned and looked to him. She knew that Lord Mashou wouldn't hesitate to kill him. She couldn't let that happen, especially after everything that he had done for her so far, and because, most importantly, she had fallen in love with him. After another moment of debating, Sadako finally turned to face Mashou again.  
  
"If I promise to cooperate, will you let him go?"  
  
"Of course, Princess."  
  
"I don't trust you..."  
  
"What good is a has-been bandit to me besides a way of getting you to cooperate with me?"  
  
Sadako bit her bottom lip and glanced back to Tasuki, then sighed heavily. "Alright, Mashou. I agree as long as no harm come to him and you let him go."  
  
Mashou smiled one of his wiry smirks again and snapped his fingers. On command, two guards came in and picked up Tasuki's limp body and began yo carry him out. Mashou stopped them though and said low enough to where Sadako couldn't hear. "Take him to another cell. We still may need him to ensure the Princess will cooperate fully with us."  
  
  
****  
  
The ride to the capitol of her city seemed to stretch one endlessly for Sadako as she was escorted there by Lord Mashou and his men, unaware that Tasuki was among the dark army. She held her head up high despite the hot tears that coursed down her pallid cheeks. Her eyes were circled with black rings, indicating the sleepless night she previously had. The closer they drew nearer to her kingdom, the closer her country came to utter destruction.  
  
Mashou ordered his men to wait just outside the boarder of the capitol's palace, and then proceeded forward with the princess. The guards at the gates were bewildered when they approached and was reluctant to open the main entrance, but then did so when Sadako gave a nod. People made way for them as the passed, whispering to one another and gaping, but Sadako couldn't bring herself to look at their horrified expressions. This was her fault after all. How could she possibly face her subjects when she was the source of their certain extinction?  
  
As he expected, all the people had gathered in the court yard, and Mashou was able to address them. With a smirk, he slid out of the saddle when he reached the top of the stone steps of the palace, pulling Sadako down with him, and then turned to the people.   
  
"People of Kejuti! As you are aware, you no longer have a queen, and as you know, her rien was put to an end with my own two hands. Here with me is the princess Sadako. Not to disappoint anyone, but she is not here to take the throne. She is here to tell you that she has failed you and has willing given me the Mystic Ring, allowing me to become the ruler of this land!"   
  
There was an eruption of gasps disbelief and cries of protest. Sadako closed her eyes tightly as the focus was turned to her; a hush falling over the crowd as Mashou pushed her forward. She slowly opened her eyes and looked sadly over her anxious subjects, remaining silent for a long moment before answering, "It's true. I have given Lord Mashou the ring!"   
  
Utter chaos broke out at her words, but Mashou's army was quick to respond and charged in to get everything under control. Mashou took Sadako by the arm and pulled her inside the palace along with his horse, that evil smirk still upon his face. She kept her face turned away from him as he did so. Once inside, Mashou took her face in his thick hand and forced her to look at him. "You better get used to this, Princess. You're going to be here at my side for a long."  
  
She glared at him and jerked back from his grip. "I will never serve you, no matter what you do!"  
  
"So stubborn ... your mother was the same way before I killed her."  
  
Enraged, Sadako pulled her hand back and landed a hard blow across his face. Infuriated, Mashou drew back his own hand to strike her, but was stopped as a guard came rushing in.  
  
"Lord Mashou! The prisoner! He's escaped!" 


	11. The Final Show Down

AN: Yay! The last chapter! I don't know if it's too cheesy or not though... I was trying to be as original as I could with it @_@. Anyway, my next fan fics will hopefully be better than this one. I mean, I guess it came all right, but it's not really exactly what I planned... Praise and flames welcomed! But if you do flame me, be gentle. I have a low self esteem when it comes to other people reading my work like this anyhow ^_~. Oh, and Tasuki uses the "f" word in the chapter... @_@.  
  
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"What! What do you mean he's escaped!" Mashou cried in fury, releasing the princess and grabbing the unfortunate soldier by cowl of his uniform.  
  
"H-he was in the back of the wagon, unconscious when we got here, but then when I went to check on him, the guards were knocked out and he was gone!"  
  
Sadako couldn't help a smirk. Lord Mashou had underestimated Tasuki horribly.   
  
The dark lord released his soldier roughly. "You go get back out there and find that boy now! I want him alive!"   
  
The man nodded and turned quickly, fleeing out of the room, the main doors closing loudly behind him. Mashou then turned to face the princess. That smug smirk that still played on her lips infuriated him more. "I wouldn't be smiling so soon, Princess. This is far from over."  
  
"Oh, it's over, Mashou. You will never be ruler of my land."  
  
"Are you forgetting that I am the one that has the ring?" he demanded harshly.  
  
"Yeah, but not fer long, loser!" came another's voice.  
  
Sadako turned at the familiar voice, a smile illuminating her face. "Tasuki!"  
  
"'Ey ya, Princess! Did ya think I fergot about ya?" Tasuki grinned as stepped out from behind a column, advancing towards them, eyeing Mashou. "Ah, so yer th' bastard that had me knocked out? Tsk. Pretty good trick ya conjured up. But th' down side is that it pissed me off. And ya screwin' with my chick doesn't make things better."  
  
Lord Mashou folded his muscular arms in front of his broad chest, not even retreating the slightly bit at Tasuki's advancement. "And just what are you going to do about it, praytell?"  
  
Tasuki smirked as he drew his tessen and prepared to fight. "I'm gonna kick yer ass!"   
  
"Intriguing..." Mashou mused, taking out the ring. "Very well then. Bring it on."  
  
  
Tasuki charged the evil lord, bringing his tessen back and leaping high in the air, shouting "rekka shiene!" as he brought it down, sending a blast of fire in his direction. Lord Mashou blocked it easily with a force field generated by the ring and laughed. "Is that the best you can do?" he patronized, sending a series of energy blasts at the red-haired warrior when he landed, but being naturally light-footed, Tasuki was able to easily dodge them.   
  
Sadako backed away against a wall, watching in horror as her love battled her arch enemy. With every one of Tasuki's attacks that Mashou blocked or evaded, a red haze about the seishi grew steadily. She knew in the back of her mind that this would be the final confrontation, and so far Mashou seemed completely unfazed by any of Tasuki's power.  
  
Caught off guard by a sudden blast, Tasuki was knocked off his feet and his tessen blown out of his grasp. It made a metallic clanking sound as it hit the stone floor, then skidded to a stop a few feet away. "Damn!" he cursed, but was forced to forget about his lost weapon as an energy blast landed too close to him for comfort. He rolled to the left on his back in just enough time to dodge another attack. There was no way he could face Mashou without his tessen. With no other option available, Tasuki did a somersault to his feet and ran at full speed towards his weapon, a trail of Mashou's attacks at his heels. With perfect timing, Tasuki scooped up the tessen, then ran up the wall before him, and flipping to avoid the last of attacks, then landing on his feet. Before Mashou could accumulate more energy to launch another blast, Tasuki turned and put then end of his tessen to the ground, sending a fast stream of fire towards the lord that encircled him before blazing up in a pillar all around him, taking him completely off guard.  
  
Sadako shielded her face with her arms against the intense heat, then lowered them, squinting her eyes, catching a glimpse of Lord Mashou's form within the flames. Tasuki used that time to catch his breath, and smirked. What a fool Mashou was to think that he could out match the top bandit from Mount Reikakku! But as the fire began to fade away, Mashou's body appeared to be unharmed and surrounded by a dome of energy that Tasuki's fire could not penetrate. Tasuki couldn't hide his surprise as Mashou fixed his gaze upon him, a deep, evil chuckle rising in his throat.   
  
"You little fool! Haven't you realized by now that as long as I have the ring, I am invincible?" he roared, sending a powerful explosion of power that blew Tasuki against a column. Sadako cried out in surprise and went to run to him, but was held back by an unseen force. "What's the matter, Princess? Can't break through my barrier?"  
  
"Mashou! Stop! You'll kill him!"  
  
"My dear, that is the point!"  
  
Tasuki slid down the column slowly, his body shuddering in pain. Can't...let...him...win! He told himself silently as he pulled himself back up to his feet with some effort. Mashou laughed again. "You're pretty strong. It is unfortunate that I have to put an end to your existence." He blew Tasuki back again with a similar burst of power as he stalked towards him.  
  
Tasuki fell to the ground, tasting a stream of blood that trickled down the corner of his mouth. His breathing was ragged and his body shook more as he tried to get to his feet, but a hard blow to his side forced him back down again. He rolled painfully on to his back only to see Mashou looming above him, an insane, twisted smile upon his face. "What's the matter, boy? Getting tired?" he sneered as he kicked him again.  
  
Sadako pleaded for Mashou to stop again, hot tears coursing down her flushed face. She knew he wouldn't back off. She fell silent and watched in wide-eyed terror as Mashou landed more forceful blows with his feet to Tasuki's broken body. The ring on the Lord's thick pinkie finger began to glow an intense, golden light as he gathered up energy for what they all knew to be the last, fatal blow.   
  
Tasuki closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the worst, but then opened them again when nothing happened. What he saw before him took him by complete surprise. Mashou was struggling with all his might with his free arm to keep the one with the hand that had the ring on it turned away from him, but was failing drastically. "What's going on!" he cried in utter confusion. "No! I cannot be defeated! I am invincible!"   
  
His last cry of protest was drown out by the eruption of power from the ring that was pressed against his forehead. Tasuki curled up into a fetal position and covered his head with his arms as rocks from the palace ceiling plummeted to the ground from the force and the blinding flash of light. Then after the light faded and the rumbling subsided, the only sound that could be heard was the tiny "plink" of the ring as it dropped to the ground.  
  
Sadako was rooted to her spot for a moment before racing to Tasuki's side. Very gently she eased his head into her lap and carefully stroked his matted hair. "Tasuki..." she whispered, tear welding up in her crystal-blue eyes. "I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then looked back up to her, trying his best to hid the agonizing pain he was in.   
  
"What happened?" he inquired in a strained tone.  
  
"I-I don't know..." was her stammered reply.  
  
"Lord Mashou was unprepared for my control over the ring," came a woman's voice.  
  
Sadako gasped at it's familiarity, and turned, thinking she must be hearing things. "M-mother?" she breathed in disbelief. A shadow of a woman's form was seen against the bright sunshine that poured through the threshold of the open doors of the main entrance. Sadako held her breath as the figure began to move towards him, her regal features becoming more clear as she drew nearer.   
  
"You have done well, my daughter."  
  
Sadako could only stare as her mother whom she thought was dead bent to pick up the ring, then joined her by Tasuki's side. Queen Arumi smiled tenderly up at her daughter. "He is a brave boy. Don't worry. He will be just fine in a moment."  
  
Sadako watched as her mother held the ring above Tasuki's still form, chanting a spell, causing a golden light to engulf his body. All his wounds were healed, and his tattered clothing was restored to brand new when the light faded away. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked up to the women gazing down at him, but only recognizing one of them. "Sadako..." he said quietly, reaching up and touching her cheek. Overwhelmed, then princess broke out into tears as he held his hand to her face before turning and kissing his palm.  
  
"I can't believe this!" she sobbed. "I-I-" Her words were cut off as her mother pulled her into a comforting embrace. Confused, Tasuki sat up and regarded them silently, not really sure of what to say.   
  
Queen Arumi smiled and stroked her daughters hair. " I knew you were strong. And you are, my beautiful daughter. You and your friend here has saved our kingdom from utter destruction."  
  
Sadako then pulled back from her mother, and turned to face Tasuki. She smiled at his perplexed expression and without even thinking, threw her arms about his neck and hugged him close to her. He smiled lightly and held her for a moment, watching as the queen stood before getting to his feet and helping Sadako up, keeping one of his arms lightly about her shoulders.   
  
Sadako's brows furrowed at the sad look in her mother's eyes. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before asking, "What is it?"  
  
Queen Arumi was silent a moment before giving her daughter her reply as gently as possible.  
  
"Sadako," she began softly. "I can see how much you have grown to care for this young man, but..." she paused for a moment, looking from her to Tasuki, then back to the confused princess again. "But I'm afraid you two cannot stay together."  
  
"What!?" Tasuki exclaimed, mortified by the answer.  
  
"No!" Sadako cried, holding on to him. "No, Mother! Please don't say that! Tell me that you're not serious! Please!"   
  
The queen's violet eyes filled with tears at her daughters please, feeling all the pain that she was. "I wish I could ... but try to understand. This man ... he is no ordinary being. He is a celestial warrior and has an upcoming mission to fulfill as a member of the Suzaku Seven."  
  
"Tsk! Fuck bein' a warrior! I just won't do it! I won't leave the princess! I love her!" Tasuki interjected, fighting back the tears that stung at his eyes.  
  
"I wish it were that simple, but your destiny cannot be altered. Your mission is vital to keep the balance of this world. You must go back." The queen turned her gaze to Sadako. "And you know what is destined to happen." She paused another moment before finishing. "Now, say your good byes."  
  
Sadako lifted her head from Tasuki's chest and wiped at her eyes, giving her mother a reluctant nod. Queen Arumi smiled lightly at him and thanked him before turning to leave them alone.  
  
Tasuki looked down to Sadako and took her by the shoulders. "What did she mean by that?! What's destined t' happen to ya?"  
The princess covered her face with her hands and shook her head, crying too hard to answer him. "Sadako! Tell me! I have to know! Please! What's gonna happen now!"   
  
Hysterical, she finally managed to coke out: "We're not real!" Tasuki was completely taken aback by that and released her, taking a step back, rendered totally speechless. Sadako sank to her knees, her body shaking with sobs. After recovering from the initial shock, Tasuki knelt down beside her, finally finding his voice.  
  
"What do ya mean, yer not real!?"  
  
Sadako took a shaky breath before calming enough to speak and looked up at him sadly. "Many years ago before Konan and the other three lands existed, my people flourished throughout this land. But the evil lord, Mashou wiped us completely out. My spirit hasn't been able to rest since, but when you intervened and helped me get the ring back, our history was able to take a different course. I am now able to pass on to the next world and join my mother."  
  
"Yer a fuckin' ghost!?" was the only thing Tasuki could manage. Sadako looked down to the ground and nodded lightly. "But what about that Kiyoshi guy an' that lizard!? An' the guy that just got blown up a few minutes ago!?"  
  
"They were all people and creatures that existed when I did. They're spirits are now free too."  
  
Tasuki got too his feet and shook his head. "I cant believe this!"   
  
Sadako stood too and looked to him, sheer agony in her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you because I thought you wouldn't help me." Her voice was choked with a fresh round of tears. "And by the time I finally built up the courage, I couldn't do it because I fell in love with you! Please forgive me, Tasuki! I didn't mean for this to happen!"  
  
Her tears wrenched his heart and he couldn't help but take her in his arms and hold her close to him. "Don't cry, Sadako. I ain't mad at ya... I only wish that there was some way I was able t' change this."  
  
She pulled back after a moment just enough to look up at him. "You will always be with me in my heart forever."  
  
He gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. "An' you'll always be with me too."  
  
She smiled up at him, and held his hand to her face and closed her eyes as he leaned down to give her one final kiss.  
  
When he opened his eyes, the palace and princess Sadako had vanished completely.  
  
****  
  
"Hey! Genrou! Yer back! We were gettin' worried!" Kouji exclaimed as he ran from his post up to Tasuki and grabbed his arm to pull him into the famous dance that they always engaged themselves into after being reunited after a long lapse of time. He frowned though when Tasuki didn't dance with him. "Hey, what's th' matter with ya, Genrou? Ain't ya happy t' be home?"  
  
Tasuki sighed lightly and forced a smile at his friend. "Yeah, I'm just tired. That's all."  
  
"Oh... Where's the chick? Did ya get her ring back?"  
  
"Yeah, we did."  
  
Kouji grinned and playfully poked at him. "Is that all yer gonna tell me? I can't believe that nothin' excitin' happened! You were gone fer 'ova a month! There had t' be some kissy-kissin' that went on between ya two."  
  
Tasuki smiled genuinely this time. Everything had a reason for its happening, and along this journey, he had found that girls weren't as bad as he always thought. But most importantly, he had found a small taste of love that he knew he would hold with him forever, and that in itself was priceless to him. He playfully put an arm around Kouji's shoulder and grinned, his old self returning. "Kouji, ol' buddy! Ya wouldn't believe me even if I did tell ya everything. An' ya know I hate girls! Now, I'm starvin'! Let's get some grub an' a round of drinks, eh? It's been far too long since I had a good cup o' sake."  
  
Kouji grinned, glad to see the Tasuki that he knew was back. "Sure thing, Genrou."  
  
With that, the two bandits headed towards the dinning quarters of their hideout on the peak of Mount. Reikakku.  
  
**end**  
  



End file.
